Read on Twitter
So here's my theory.
Humans have minds that have a propensity to narrow over time. Without supervision as kids, we'd generally end up eating burger & chips every day.
Humans have minds that have a propensity to narrow over time. Without supervision as kids, we'd generally end up eating burger & chips every day.
Opening one's mind requires effort, or education, or a change of scenery. Or best of all, all three. Effort is the greatest of these (assuming you weren't just brought up to be open-minded).
Failing this early mind-opening test, it becomes all too easy to see "my world" observed since birth as *the* world. One's frame of reference becomes necessarily limited. One can still be a thinker, of course, but mental limits will be, in general, harder to break through.
Is it any wonder that people like this, living out in the arse end of nowhere in America, end up believing in someone like Trump? Quite honestly, why wouldn't you believe in a man who apparently believes in your narrow existence and gives it greater weight than "odd city types"?
I've sat on both sides of this fence. I left home for university at 19 but 20 years later ended up back in the place I grew up (with my own family). This is why @David_Goodhart's Anywheres and Somewheres resonated more than other 'cultural explanation' of Brexit.
Life is an eternal adventure that we are destined to never make sense of. If you think you've got it licked then, by definition, you haven't. But whether you have or not, you've got little chance within a narrow cultural reference (e.g. in your home town with your old mates).
The potential for you to believe in nonsense is higher. Puffing up your chest and telling people you "went to the university of life, mate" is like saying you shoved 12 gobstoppers in your mouth at age 13. So what? No one cares.
And this plays to another related point: you may never fully grow up if you fail in one of the 3 imperative mind-opening mechanisms. Harsh, but this will certainly apply to some.
Non-grown-ups (i.e. Kids) don't take responsibility for their decisions and so you might not either.
Non-grown-ups (i.e. Kids) don't take responsibility for their decisions and so you might not either.
So to use an old phrase, maybe "you need to get out more". The very backdrop of that phrase implying being stuck in a narrow frame of reference (and pithily pointing the way out of it).
You certainly need to challenge yourself more. Read stuff you wouldn't naturally read. Break your comfort zone regularly.
You may of course do all this mind-opening stuff and still believe in stuff someone else may characterise as close-mindedness. Well fine. Life is rich in its variety and there will always be differences.
But at least make some f&*$ing effort.
But at least make some f&*$ing effort.
PS: And tonight's gin is this one. Well recommended.
